a taste of the Goldfields Farmhouse Cheese

we were back at the Ballan Farmers Market again earlier last month.  Weather was beautiful and the sun was shining!

... as soon as we walked in we made a beeline for the cheese stand.

Who can resist a taste of good quality cheese?

We sampled a couple of different varieties, but decided on purchasing a piece of the St Barbara. Named after the patron saint of gold miners, St Barbara is a creamy, mild blue vein cheese.

Next time you visit the Ballan Farmers Market do check out the Goldfields Farmhouse Cheeses.

Gotta go ... the wine & the cheese is ready!

catch up next time.

a magical frosty morning!

... and it was. Here we are bang, smack in the middle of winter in Ballan.

The sun was shining, the grass was crunchy and white and the hungry birds were creating a racket because I had not fed them....

So grabbed the camera and captured the following images before feeding the hungry little blighters.

Was not till we went for a walk and met with friends that we heard it actually got as low as MINUS 2.9 deg.

hope you are out enjoying your day 

somewhere warm, hopefully in regional Victoria!

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where is Mount Bonan Yowing?

Last weekend we drove from Ballan to Mt Buninyong (Victoria, Australia) via Mt Egerton and Yendon as seen in the following blog posts:

Ballan to Mt Egerton

Mt Egerton to Yendon

Our destination was Mount Bonan Yowing or better known as Mt Buninyong, an extinct volcano that rises to 719 metres (2,359 ft) above sea level. We had not been here for many years and we were anxious to explore this area again.

The views are still magnificent, the weather in winter is still as cold as ever, though I must admit, we were lucky.  Even though the day was cold, we had no rain at all.  It often snows here in July, so it is worth noting to keep away from there over the next few weeks!

The following images show just how beautiful the scenery is from the Mt Buninyong Road:

... and did you know that Mt Buninyong was originally named Mount Bonan Yowing? It is said to derive from an Aboriginal word meaning a man lying on his back with his knee raised. It was from the peak that Thomas Learmonth and a group of squatters first viewed the Ballarat area in 1837.

The road is quite safe, it is narrow and only 'one way', but do take it slowly as there are many walkers and tourists in the area, especially over the weekends.

 

Mount Buninyong, located in Buninyong is one of the more recognizable landmarks in the entire Goldfields region and is used as an antenna site for radio, TV and telephone equipment. The summit has been a minor tourist destination and picnic spot for over 140 years. The major part of the mountain was cleared for agriculture or housing, but widespread protests during the 1980s led to the preservation of native forest cover on much of the upper portion.

When visiting Mt Buninyong or walking the trails, do keep your eyes open for the 'hidden beauty' as seen in the images above. Be it fungi, dead gum nuts, a leaf, a branch of a gum tree or moss on a fallen branch .... there is beauty all around us and we can only see this when our eyes are open.

“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.” 

 ― Dr. Seuss

Mt Buninyong is also part of the Ballarat Cycle Classic - Mt Buninyong Classic Challenge of 60 km and in January (usually) the Cycling Australia Road National Championships are held. Though do check Cycling Australia's website for "up to date" events as the Buninyong Cycling website is often out of date.

The following are a few URL's that maybe of interest:

Mt Buninyong

Walks on Mt Buninyong

Mt Buninyong Recreation Reserve

Mt Buninyong LandCare

Museum Victoria's images of Mt Buninyong

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John's ride along Glenmore Road .......

The weather this morning was superb ... clear blue skies and the temperature was expected to reach 13 deg.  So the decision was made to get out for some fresh air ..... John on the bike and myself in the car and stopping where possible for any photo opportunity!

Last week we had seen the VisitMoorabool website and in particular noted one of the bike tours that was suggested out of Ballan. It was called the PARWAN VALLEY GRASSLANDS Touring route that covered approx 40 klms. But have since been told it is actually the Rowsley Valley as Parwan Valley is east of Bacchus Marsh. Never mind, we decided this is what we would be doing anyway!

above: We left Ballan (E) mid morning and headed south on the Ballan-Geelong Rd (B), after approx 15 klms we turned left into Glenmore Road. This is where John started riding the bike.

above: The following images were taken along this east west section (grey) of the Glenmore Road.

above: as we turned left into Glenmore Road, the first thing we see is a sign that warns John of a "very steep decline" ahead.

above: those white spots on the hill are sheep and the lonely rider on the road is John!

above: and it was here at this intersection that we needed to turn left to go towards Bacchus Marsh.

John continued riding for awhile, until we hit a headwind. Next blog post will be of the scenery I captured along the way. Truly is a beautiful area to explore, the road is mostly narrow and there is one very steep decline of about 2.5 klms. Other than that it is a good area for bike riding.

Just be aware the vehicles do travel close on the narrow tarmac.

It was certainly a ride (and drive) through a landscape of extremes.



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a winters walk ....

Here we are in the middle of winter, but every now and then we actually do get a nice day ... nice enough to put on a jacket and go for a walk that is.....

with the camera!

so here are a few captures of what I saw on yesterday's walk...

above: this is moss sitting in between the pavement.

  
above: tiny purple flowers outside the school

above: yellow flowers blowing in the breeze!

above: an old fence, full of this bush, hiding these tiny berries.

 

above: lovely colourful leaves and berries against a tin shed.

above: there are always daisies somewhere, dead and alive!

above: strange green shrub with white, furry bits on the leaves!

above: blue daisies

above: white daisies spreading out over the pathway!

above: I think I have captured every colour available in a daisy by now!

above: I did spy, high up above me, a flowering gum.

Now I thought they flowered about January / February and was surprised to see this example.

Then I found out there are probably more winter flowering gums in the southwest of the country where winter rainfall makes it the season of plenty, but winter flowerers occur all around Australia, in a myriad of colours.

At a conservative estimate, there are over 900 species and subspecies of eucalypts in Australia. They make up the very essence of 'the bush'. Generally the mass of olive foliage overpowers the distinct, star-like flowers of eucalypts.

But at certain times of the year, gum trees burst into vivid pink, red, yellow, orange, purple or white flowers. Many of them spread their colours in spring and summer, counting on attracting the fresh influx of insects brought by the warmer weather.

Insects also pollinate some late autumn and winter flowering species.

But come winter, there are fewer insects to transfer the pollen of eucalypts, and the winter flowerers turn instead to the birds, and the mammals.

With all this beautiful foliage around to brighten up the coldest winter walk, there's little excuse for not getting out and checking the winter flowers. After all, the birds and the bees do it, so why can't we?

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